I've never been a fan of metronomes - first of all I bought a clip-on digital one, which was useless because I couldn't hear it when I was playing. So then I bought a bigger digital one, which was slightly better because at least I could see a light flashing even if I couldn't hear it But it was never very satisfactory and I've never used it much.

Anyway my new teachers are very keen advocates of using a metronome, so I've finally got a mechnical one and eureka! I can hear it, I can see it, and it rings a bell on the beat I've only had it a few days but I'm really pleased with it - it's enabled me to speed a piece up from very slow to allegro in regular stages, and I know now that I'm playing at the correct speed and rhythm instead of just hazarding a guess at it.

When I first started looking at metronomes in the shops, the mechnical ones were around £50 but I got this one off the internet for £16 +P&P, and I think you could get smaller mechanical ones for under £10 (they might not have a bell though )

I just thought I'd post this in case anyone else has difficulty using a metronome and is using a digital one because like me, you might find that you get on better with a mechanical one

My favourite metronome is neither digital nor mechanical! It's a Seiko SQ44, operates from a battery, but has a dial with the traditional metronome markings on it. It has an extremely loud click, It is also wonderfully portable. In fact, I have two, both bought from ebay a few years ago.

My favourite metronome is my Dad's old one. I think it's fairly ancient and it has a bell, and the wind up mechanism lasts a long time. I use it a fair amount when playing the piano but it is more fiddly to use than my digital ones. I can increase the speed by one or two on the digital, whereas it's less exact on the mechanical one.However, on the mechanical one, the weight thing slips a little, which is rather hekpful when tryin to speed a piece up, as you realise you are in fact playing at 66 not 60 and feel rather pleasedwith yourself. It's just so beautiful a piece of equipment and it just 'belongs' on top of my piano.
I tend to use my digital one when playing the clarinet as it can sit on my stand and I don't have to reach so far to alter it!!!!

As you are now the proud owner of a Yammy digital piano Skylark you will have a very accurate built in metronome. This is the one that I use always. You may alter the volume, the tempo of course, you have the choice of having a ping on the down beat or not and they are so much more reliable than the old fashioned pyramid ones. These look beautiful but are notoriously inaccurate. A conductor friend of mine used to wear a wrist watch model but I have never seen the need for one of those.

I have a matrix battery powered metronome. When I was buying it my mum told the guy in the shopt to sell me the loudest one they had. I am slightly deaf and wear hearing aids. With hearing aids I have the same hearing as everyone else!

There is no volume button either. It is so loud I could proably hear it at the other end of the road. Way too loud. My mum is completely non musical and thinks she knows which model of metronome is best. The loudest.

As a result I use it very little.

My previous teacher had a pyramid one which she used a lot in my lessons. I liked it a lot as far as metronomes go but currently I do not use a mtronome and I have no problems. I do not see a need for me to use a metronome.

i have a mechanical pyramid metronome. Its rubbish, the needle is bent, therefore the ticking is irregular, instead of being a smooth ticking... its like Tick Tock -tiny pause- Tick Tock.
To me its so noticeable, but mom says she cant here it!

A metronome is Evil!

well, only because it is relentless and makes you realise you didn't know the music as well as you thought, because you can be distracted by the sound...

But a metronome is also a terrific tool to help with rhythms, to help with practice, to instil a certain discipline...

I have two.
One is the Taktell, traditional type; quite good as it's a clear sound and you can easily see the movement of the pendulum.
The other is the Intelli Metro Tuner, so a metronome and tuner. Very useful. Very portable. The beat can be broken down into quavers, semiquavers, triplets....

For orchestra I use the Intelli to check what I want to hear. But I don't use it when we play. Tempo is flexible after all, and keeps changing!

There are several others in the house - several musicians around, but I don't know exactly what they all are.

I also have a Tacktell traditional mechanical, which is fine for the level at which everyone plays at the moment.

I'd like to use my mother's old mechanical one (although I think the needle is bent on that one, so might end up with the same problem as hello_cello), but the key is long gone and I don't know where to get a replacement.

I did like my mechanical one a lot better than the one i have on my computer because it is much louder, but recently it's started to develop a limp

Years ago when I had an acoustic piano I used a mechanical metronome. These days I use the built-in one that comes with my digital piano. The best feature (to me anyway ) is that in addition to the typical metronome sound, I have the choice of voice counting in Japanese, voice counting in English, meowing cat, barking dog (and possibly more) as well as a choice of volume and whether to have the sound on each beat, just the first beat of the bar, or blinking lights only (no sound).

My teacher has Seiko SQ100-88 : http://www.metronomes.net/SeikoSq100.htm



I think it is rather cool, because of the volume control, 7 different rhythm settings and LEDs. I especially like the dial. I am trying to find something like it, but it seems to be discontinued... Can anyone introduce another metronome that has most of these features?

I currently have an Intelli Tuner-Metronome with 5 rhythm settings. I got a headache hearing it tick away so loudly. As a result, I had to put several layers of mounting tape on the speaker to mute it down.

I have an old Nikko mechanical metronome, but it is not so functional now. I wind it up, and after a minute or two, the beats start to slow down. The tick-tocks are also too loud for me. I think I am quite sensitive to loud sounds

Beth has really struggled with the use of a metronome and our solution is for me to use the metronome and conduct.
I can manage that pretty reliably but then I'm at full stretch. There is no way I could also check that she is playing with me, although when she does I do know it. So Beth is on her own to check if she is actually playing in time. I have noticed that she is getting better at working with the metronome on her own so hopefully I will be made redundant, in this role at least, sooner rather than later.
Dora

The electronic ones have lots of features, and are easy to carry, but there is a precision to the click of an old fashioned clockwork device that is much easier to work with than the slightly stretched out sound of an electronic device.

I've got a Nikko one too! It's not old though, it was a present from a piano teacher of mine. The tick-tocks ARE very loud aren't they.. I always keep the bell off, because that just gives me headaches while I play I think I'm sensitive to loud sounds too :S

Sometimes it seems like the beat one way is longer than the other.. maybe this is just me going crazy?

I have a Taktell mechanical metronome and it suits my needs! Apparently, according to the receipt in its box which I keep it in, it was bought in 1973 for £2.25

It looks a bit like this:

, but in a dull grey, rather than the exciting colour in the picture.

Thanks for the tip. I only started using a metronome a few years ago when I started having real lessons, having been self taught till then. The teacher, quite rightly, saw that I was taking a huge (artistic) liberty with the tempo and rhythm. So what? It still sounded okay!

I bought a Korg electronic metronome but I never got on with it. I find it too distracting. Perhaps I'm putting too much effort into listening for the beats. At the time I was going through the Ferling studies and some of the rhythms there are just so complicated. The only thing that worked for me, even at a slow tempo, was for me to tap my left leg with my right foot ... quite hard!!

So perhaps something more mechanical would do the trick. Preferably something VERY mechanical that would deliver electric shocks?

Steve

Oh, I have an Intelli tuner metronome and it has a volume control.

Also produces reference tones at any pitch (good for scales) and has a thermometer and hygrometer (if you like that sort of thing).

BIG display too

I have a mechanical one with a bell and a digital one. I didn't really want the digital one but I was looking for a new digital tuner and the only one in the shop had a metronome incorporated.

I don't mind which I use for the piano but with the oboe, as other posters have said, I find some notes completely cover the electronic tick. On the other hand, I do quite like being able to increase the speed by one beat at a time on the electronic one and, when doing that, put up with not being able to hear the odd tick.

My daughter dislikes the flashing lights on the electronic metronome and can only use it if I turn it round so that she can't see it.

I just tried my old Nikko metronome, which is about 20 years old now. It slows down alright, but the bells are so loud they blend into each other. 5 seconds after the metronome is stopped, you will still hear the bells echoing in the room and in your ears. I only have the "one way longer than the other" problem when the metronome is placed on a tilted surface. Maybe that is what you are experiencing? Anyway, the 20-year-old Nikko is so loud, every beat seems to hit me in the chest...




Pushpull, do you happen to have the model number of the Intelli metronome? It looks very different from the IMT-301 that I have, which also produces reference pitches, which are excellent for singing classes. Volume control is such an important feature for me. Thermometer and hygrometer aren't so important for me, since I cannot change the climate on my little island country

It is indeed an IMT-301 though I know model numbers (and makes) vary across the globe. For instance my (Chinese) oboe teacher has a similar one under the name "Parkson's IMT-301" - which is why I got mine.

No it's not of a great deal of interest to me either, we certainly can't change our climate, much to our disgust at the moment.

When I wrote this in August, I'd seen quite a few mechanical metronomes on the internet for under £10. Now that I want to buy one, I've searched loads of sites and can't find any. I'm looking for a mechanical metronome which is smaller than 8", preferably around £10, and preferably not wood casing if possible. Has anyone seen one, or has got one and can tell me the make?

Have you tried ebay? I've bought a couple of digital ones very cheaply from there & it's likely you could find a cheap mechanical one there.

In the last couple of years I have recommended the Korg MA30 around £10 from Ebay for all my students. Compact and easy to use.

Each of my kids have one in their instrumental case, they have all use it on a regular basis. The older often play with metronome running through headsets like a click track. Now they're older they have found a metronome to be a useful device.

We have two older traditional Wittner metronomes that just sit and gather dust now...

I've been using a Korg MA30 for three years now. It's wonderful.